A CV (or curriculum vitae) is a document that provides an in-depth review of your professional history for potential employers. Most jobs in the U.S. prefer the much-less-intense resume, but if you’re applying for a job outside the U.S. or for a position in academia, science, or research, you’ll likely need a CV.
In this article, we’ll cover what a CV is, who needs one, and the standard format for CVs. We’ll also provide an example CV to help you to get an idea of what this document looks like.
Key Takeaways:
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A CV is a comprehensive review of your life’s work, including professional experience, educational history, and accomplishments.
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A CV, unlike a resume, contains all information related to your work history.
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A CV is generally between two and five pages long.
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CVs are popular for international jobs and academic or research positions within the United States.
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CVs should be tailored and formatted according to the job application.
What is a CV?
A CV is a curriculum vitae, which is a Latin expression that roughly translates to the “course of my life.” As such, a CV is a comprehensive review of your life’s work, including your:
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Research projects
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Memberships to societies
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Presentations
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Coursework
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Fieldwork
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Personal profile
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Certifications
Many people get confused because they think the term curriculum is related to your education, but a CV is so much more than just an explanation of your education.
Who needs a CV?
CVs are very common outside the United States, so anyone applying for a job in another country will likely need a CV.
That doesn’t mean you’re free and clear of the CV if you’re in the United States though. Higher-level technical, scientific, and academic careers in the United States also may require a CV.
People who need a CV rather than a resume include those who are applying for:
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A job overseas
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A role in academia
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A fellowship grant
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A research role
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A job in medicine
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Some legal positions (usually those that involve research and publication)
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Any job that asks for a CV
What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
The key difference between a CV and a resume is that a resume is brief, while a CV is extensive (nearly to the point of being exhaustive). That’s where the main difference lies. A curriculum vitae is designed to be much more thorough than a resume.
It’s not so much an appetizer for your prospective new employer as a seven-course meal, complete with dessert, that’s meant to give potential employers a deep look into everything you’ve done and then some.
A resume and a CV both include the following:
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Work experience
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Education
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Skills/Certifications/Additional training
At this point, you’d typically wrap up your resume. You might add a few optional sections on things like volunteer work or impressive projects, but a resume only really needs the above sections.
If you’re writing a CV, you’ve still got a lot of work to do because you’re going to need more.
A CV additionally includes:
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Awards
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Publications
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Certifications/Licenses
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Memberships in professional organizations
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Continuing education
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Extracurricular activities (interests, hobbies, travel experience)
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Presentations
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Grants/Scholarships
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Educational coursework (with more information than a resume)
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Research projects
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Presentations
You can see now why a curriculum vitae is used in the U.S. for more specialized and higher-level positions. It gives employers that intimate view of who the candidate is as a person and all they’ve accomplished professionally, rather than just an overview of their key skills and work experience.
How do I write a CV?
To write a CV, choose an appropriate format, write down the experience most relevant to the job you’re applying for, and add in the rest of your experience that sets you apart.
If you think a CV is the right approach for you, then you not only need to fill it with wonderful things that highlight you as a professional; you need to make it look sharp and professional. Beyond that, there’s no set format.
CVs are not like resumes where employers expect to be able to glance at them and instantly spot the differences.
Your CV is sort of like a professional autobiography and it needs to have highlights, features, and interesting sections that capture the job recruiter’s attention and makes them want to keep reading. While this varies by individual and often by the particular job they are seeking to get, the following tips can help you format a CV.
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Choose an easy-to-read format. Font, margins, white space — all of those things are important and should be considered when you create a document you expect someone to be comfortable reading.
There are plenty of high-quality CV templates on the internet that you can use as a starting point.
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Write down your job essentials. If you’re applying for an academic job, then your education will probably be most essential.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a job as a research scientist, you’ll slide your education further down and bring your research experience to the top of your CV. This is where you might need a couple of versions of your CV, depending on the position you want.
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Add your additional experience and accomplishments. The main goal of a CV is to make you stand out and be more impressive than other candidates. Do this by making sure you include every accomplishment you can think of on your CV.
From papers to group projects to volunteer work, fill in the gaps around your essential job information with everything you’ve done that grew your professional, personal, or academic skills.
By the way, charts and graphs and sometimes pictures can be a part of an awesome CV as well.
Common CV mistakes to avoid
It’s easy to make mistakes when writing a document as long as a CV. To help you cut down on the mistakes you make, we’ve put together a list of the most common ones:
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Spelling and grammar errors
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Not tailoring it to the job
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Using a generic template that’s not customized
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Not highlighting your individual skills/talents/accomplishments
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Writing in passive voice
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Poor visual layout
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Focusing on duties
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Using cliches
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Not addressing employment gaps or career changes
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Lying or exaggerating so much it’s unbelievable
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Lack of substantiating evidence
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Not having an outside proofreader review it
Tips for writing a CV
Here are a few tips and tricks for ensuring your CV is as polished as possible:
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Tailor your CV for the opportunity. While most people know that a resume should certainly be overhauled and reworked for each and every application, there’s a common misconception that your CV always stays the same. To strengthen your application, make sure to tailor your CV to what the hiring manager is looking for.
Read the job description carefully and try to incorporate any words or phrases that are emphasized as essential.
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Consider applicant tracking systems. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are computer programs that parse through resumes for relevant information and give each candidate a score based on the keywords, experience levels, and other factors in your application documents.
Many CVs don’t make it to a human reader because the program weeds them out. In order to avoid that, you should make your CV ATS-friendly.
Incorporate lots of keywords that you find in the job description (in a natural way), don’t use fancy formatting gimmicks, and be sure to save your file as the employer requests. If they don’t request any specific file format, stick with .doc or .docx — even though PDFs save their formatting across devices and operating systems, doc files are easier for ATS to read.
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Keep things chronological. Just like in a resume, your experiences should be listed in chronological order. For each section, begin with the most recent experience and work your way back to the older experiences. That way, you’re leading with fresh and impressive facts about yourself.
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Contextualize your accomplishments. It’s much better to provide examples of your proudest achievements rather than simply listing your job duties. Hiring managers and recruiters know, more or less, what’s involved with whatever job title you had.
Your job is to show them how you leveraged your winning skill set to achieve great results, so include numbers wherever possible to help contextualize your experiences — think scale (“Managed 5 people”), frequency (“20 client emails per day”), change over time (“increased sales by 15% year-over-year”), and money (“saved $3,000 in office supplies budget”).
These details make a big difference in hiring managers understanding and appreciating the scope of your job and past contributions.
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Use parallel construction. If you’re using bullet points in one area, full sentences in another, and then abbreviated sentences in another you’re going to drive the reader a little nuts. Stick to one type of construction and follow that throughout.
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Put your contact information at the top of every page. This is so that if the pages of your CV get separated from each other, the hiring manager will be able to identify who they belong to. It also helps hiring managers become even more familiar with your name.
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If you’re applying for a job overseas, look up the country’s CV norms. Different countries have different expectations for employees’ CVs, so if the company doesn’t provide you with a template or formatting requirements for your CV, do a little research to make sure yours will be acceptable.
There probably won’t be many major things that will get you disqualified, but taking this extra step can help you make an even stronger first impression.
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Include a cover letter with your CV. Many people will tell you that you don’t need to send a cover letter. They’re right — about half the time. The trouble is, you don’t know if the hiring manager for this specific job is part of the 50% of hiring managers who don’t use them in their decision-making process.
The hiring managers who do prefer to see a cover letter say that it makes a big impact on how they screen candidates. Plus, you don’t need to stress about writing a cover letter for a job. In the process of tailoring your CV, you’ve already done the mental legwork of figuring out what the company wants from a candidate.
While your CV answers the “who, where, what, when” questions about you, a cover letter fills in the “how” and “why.” It’s your chance to describe why you’re passionate about the field and how you approach your job.
CV examples
While your CV will differ from these in both content and length, here are a few example CVs you can use as a reference as you start working on yours.
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Example Academia CV
William Bunter
New York, NY | 555-555-5555 | w.bunter@email.com
Education
Ph.D in Literature of the Americas | 2012
University of ConnecticutDissertation: Poetry of Place: Reading New Englandly: An exploration of the unique cultural perspective of post-WWII New England poets, including Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens, and Robert Lowell.
M.Phil in Early American Literature | 2007
Trinity College Dublin
B.A. in English | 2005
University of ConnecticutPublications
Books
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Bunter, William. Protestantism and Culture: The Birth of a New Language: Big City Press (2008)
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Else, Julie. Dances With Demons: Stories of Hardship and Perseverance in the New World: Happy Publishing; Chapter 7: “Witchy Women.” (2010)
Peer-reviewed Journals
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“Puritan Lies and the Foundation of Emerging Literature,” New Ideas Quarterly 12(3), 27-34.
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“Unmasking the Literary Heroes of Apocrypha,” New England Press 5(6), 90-112.
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“Old Stories, New Meanings,” Sarasota Journal 8(9), 11-23.
Professional Experience
University of Connecticut
Adjunct Lecturer | 2007-2009-
New England Literature, English 2102
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Intro to Literary Theory 1102
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Short Stories From Canada 2230
Graduate Teaching Assistant | 2009-2012
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Intro to Reconstruction Era Literature 1231
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Intermediate English Literature 2003
Honors and Awards
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Latin American Literature Study Grant 2018
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Teaching awards from UCONN: 2009, 2011
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Emerging Writer Award, E.O.L, 2007
Memberships
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New England Poetry Society
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New England Press Contributor
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Authorly Insights Organization
Skills
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Writing: technical, persuasive, literary, historical, poetry, research
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Curriculum development
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WordPress
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Microsoft Office and Google Suites
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Adobe Photoshop
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Video editing
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Example Science Research Position CV
Haley Morrison
St. Louis, MO | 777-777-7777 | hayley.morrison@email.com
Education
Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering | 2012
Oklahoma State UniversityDissertation: Analysis of the use of repaired carbon fiber composites in turbojet engines
Advisor: Dr. Mark HallMaster of Science in Aerospace Engineering | 2007
Oklahoma State University
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering | 2005
Oklahoma State UniversityWork Experience
Pratt and Whitney
Materials Engineer | 2022-Present-
Developed repair processes for carbon fiber composite parts, saving $250,000 in parts from being scrapped.
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Analyzed and set acceptable limits for carbon fiber composite and cast metal parts, saving over $1 million in parts from being scrapped.
Research Experience
Oklahoma State University
Doctoral and Master’s Research | 2018-2022-
Analyzed the use of repaired carbon fiber composites in various engine stages.
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Worked with and for Pratt and Whitney Materials Engineering team.
Undergraduate Research | 2017-2018
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Designed, built, and raced an unmanned aerial vehicle.
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Won third place in statewide competition.
Publications
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Brown, M., and Morris, H. 2021. Use of fiber composites in unmanned aerial vehicles. Science Journal. 24: 112
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Brown, M., Schneider, S.,and Morris, H. 2020. Analysis of fuel sources for unmanned aerial vehicles. Student Science Journal. 56: 83
Abstracts and Presentations
Brown, M., and Morris, H. The design of an unmanned aerial vehicle: Challenges and solutions. Presented to engineering faculty and engineering student body.
Research Grants
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Co-authored proposal for NASA with Dr. James Gray for carbon fiber research project. Funded $30,000. 2022.
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Wrote proposal for Pratt and Whitney. Funded $15,000 for UAV project. 2017.
Honors and Awards
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Outstanding Senior Award, Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology. 2018.
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Outstanding Senior Capstone Award, Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology. 2018.
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Summa Cum Laude, Oklahoma State University. 2018.
Professional Affiliations
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ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers
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Pi Tau Sigma – Mechanical Engineering Honor Society
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Society of Women Engineers
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AIAA – American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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CV FAQ
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How long is a CV?
CVs have no length limit, but they are typically between two and five pages long. The length of a CV is dependent on your legitimate experience. This means that you should not force your CV to be long with irrelevant information. The reader wants to see your qualifications and history. However, this also means you shouldn’t be afraid to add anything you believe is relevant.
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Can I send a CV instead of a resume?
Only send a CV when your application requests it. In the United States, most jobs expect a resume, which should be brief and related to the job application. CVs are requested normally by academic and research positions within the United States. If you are applying for a job abroad you will likely be asked to present a CV.
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Should I write a CV?
Only write a CV if you plan to work in academia, research, or abroad. If you do, then it is a good idea to have a draft CV always ready. This is important because a CV is a living document which means you will continually add new experiences, skills, and accomplishments to your CV as you progress through life.
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What is the purpose of a CV?
The purpose of a CV is to provide a comprehensive view of your life’s work. CVs are usually more in-depth than resumes, as they include experiences like volunteer work, publications, awards, coursework, presentations, and more.
If you’re applying for a job outside of the U.S. or in a highly technical, scientific, or academic field, you’ll need a CV.
References
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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – Curriculum Vitae Tips and Samples
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Corporate Finance Institute – Curriculum Vitae | Definition, What to Include, and How to Format
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CV-Template – CV vs Resume and the Differences Between Countries
Author
Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.
Expert
Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.
